Driving mechanism.



- 5N0. 731,501. 7 PAT'ENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

v F. G. RINSGHE. DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 10, 1902.

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No. 731,501; PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. 4

I. G. RINSGHB.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

urmonxon nun ROV.10, 1902.

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F. 0. RINSGHE.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1902.

NO MODEL.-

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% 236655" 6*: R0 72 W: y 5 f??? f i Patented June 23 1903.

FRANK C. RINSCHE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL ACCOUNTANT MACHINE COMPANY,

PORATION OF MISSOURI.

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A COR- DRIVING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,501, dated June 23, 1903. Application filed November 10, 1902. Serial No. 130,727. (No model.)

To all whom it Wtcty concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK O. ,RINscHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Driving Mecha n.

ism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such. as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing the motor connected to the driven machine, (herea calculating-machine,) portions of the parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism with the casing in section, the full lines illustrating the normal positions of the parts and the switch-key lever, the support and the actuating-lever of the counting mechanism being shown by dotted lines in the positions they occupy as the motor-driven part or power-shaft is about to complete its movement in one direction when the repeating-lever is in normal position. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2, a portion of the casing being in section and the switch being illustrated partly broken away and with the cup and cap in section. Fig. 4 is a top plan View on about the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2, theparts beingshown-in the? positions assumed when the repeating-lever is in inoperative position; and Fig. 6 is a top plan view, a portion of the calculating-machine and of the cabinet'being broken away.

My invention relates to driving mechanisms, and more particularly to driving mechanisms for use in operating motor-driven calculating-machines, although the use of the.

of the calculating-machine. trated, however, the power-shaft 57 of the cal- To these ends and also to improve generally upon mechanism of the character indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the present mechanism as applied to a calculating-machine, the particular machine here shown being well known and fully disclosed in my Patent No. 654,181, dated July 24, 1900, and the particular motor here illustrated is that forming the subject-matter of an application for patent filed by Penrose E. Chapman on or about September 15, 1902, Serial No. 123,450. This particular motor is adapted to make only a partial revolution, the amount of movement being only that sufficient to carry the power-shaft of the calculating-machine through the necessary are. It will, however, be apparent that other mo- .tors than those of the type just described can be employed by me for the purposes of the present invention.

Referring now moreparticularlyto the drawings, A indicates the driven machine, which inthe present embodiment of my invention is a calculating-machinei B is the supporting-cabinet, and'C is the .motor, the motor being here shown as geared to the calculatingmachine by means of sprockets and a chain, althoughother connections can be made between themotor and the calculating-maehine--e. g., as by mounting the motor directly upon the power-shaft As here illusculating-machine is provided with a sprocket wheel or disk 1, whichcorresponds generally to the operatinghandle usually mounted ,upon said. shaft.

I The rotatable armatureshaft 7 of the motor is provided WI'Dh a COHI- panion sprocket-wheel'2, anda sprocketchain 3 extends about the saidwheels; Suitable means are provided for causing thejusual recovery of the power-shaft57, this means being here shown as the well-known recovering-spring 62, connected to the said shaft by the customary chain or other flexible connector 61.

Suitably supported, as upon the top plate of the cabinet, is a standard 4, and guided upon said standard, as by means of headed pins or screws 5,whose shanks extend through slots 6 in the standard, is a vertically-slidable bar 10, which forms a switch-key, the lower end of said key being bent laterally to produce a projection 8, whose function will be hereinafter explained, and said switch-key being normally held in elevated position, as by means of the recovering-spring 9. The upper end of the standard 4: is bent outwardly-i. e., away from the switch-key bar-- to produce a lateral projection 11, and suitably secured to the switch-key bar is a strap bent to produce a boxing, which has a side plate 12 and top and bottom plates 13 and 14:, which extend from said side plate toward said switch-key bar and lie, respectively, above and below the said fixed lateral projection ll. Felt or other suitable packing 15 is interposed between the said lateral projection 11 and the said plates 13 and 1 1 and acts to cushion the switch-key in a manner which will be apparent.

Manifestly many forms of switches can be employed for controlling the motor-circuit; but I have here shown a closed cup 16, suitably supported upon the cabinet and having a lower relatively fixed terminal 17 and a plunger 18, operating vertically through the cap of the cup and forming the cooperating terminal. The cup is preferably filled with oil to prevent sparking. A spring 19 tends to throw the upper terminal or plunger 18 into contact with the terminal 1'7; but as the said plunger has a disk or other suitable projection 20, which lies above and engages the lateral projection 8 of the switch-key bar, said plunger is normally held in elevated position, and the motor-circuit is thus normally open.

It will be noticed that the switch-key bar has a considerably longer throw than the throw of the plunger necessary to bring the latter into contact-making position, whereby after the switch-key bar has been depressed and the plunger-terminal has therefore been thrown by its spring into contact-making position the switch-key bar continues to descend and passes out of engagement with the disk 20. Thus the downward movement of the plunger is unlimited, except by the lower cooperating terminal, and the said plunger can always descend until proper contact is made, notwithstanding the fact that the terminals may wear and the plunger may therefore have to make a longer throw after the terminals have been in service for some time than it has to make when the parts are new. Furthermore, when the switch-key is released the projection 8 has an initial movement unobstructed by the said disk 20, and the switch-key bar thus starts its movement and then forcibly strikes the said disk 20 and quickly elevates the latter.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that under normal conditions the motor is inoperative and the calculatingmachine is in condition for having a number set up therecn.- After such number has been set up the operator depresses the switchkey, whereupon the motor is energized and rocks the power-shaft 57 forwardly against the force of the recoveringspring 62, said spring serving to return the power-shaft and the motor to normal position as soon as the motor-circuit is again broken by the elevation of the switch-key.

I shall now describe the means whereby the switch-key can be released by the operator almost as soon as he has depresed the same and the said key will be held in depressed position to permit the circuit to be maintained closed, but will be automatically elevated to cause the motor circuit to be broken as soon as the power-shaft 57 has been rocked through the necessary arc. A supporting-plate 21 is screwed or otherwise secured to the face of the sprocket wheel or disk 1, the upper surface of said plate being concentric with said wheel and of a length corresponding to the desired arc of movement of the power-shaft 57, while the rear end of said plate is beveled'or inclined inwardly, as shown at 22. A suitably-pivoted lever 23, conveniently supported upon the standard 4, has a slot 24 in one end adapted to receive a pin 25 upon the switch-key bar and operating through a slot 26 in the said standard,'and the other end of said lever is bent inwardly, as shown at 27, to lie in the plane which includes the supporting-plate or projection 21, the inner end of said levert'. a, the end toward said supporting-platelying at such a point that when the lever is rocked it can just clear the forward end of the said plate.

hen the parts are in normal position, the inner end of the said lever is below the said supporting-plate. When the switchkey is depressed, the inner end of the said lever is elevated to a position above the said supporting-plate, the motor is energized in a manner which will be understood, and the sprocket-wheel 1 is rotated sufficiently to carry the forward end of the supportingplate beneath the inner end of the lever, whereby the switch-key bar is locked down, with the projection 8 out of engagement with the disk 20, and the motor-circuit is maintained closed, notwithstanding the fact that the operator removes his finger from the switch-key. As soon, however, as the powershaft 57 has moved through the necessary arc the supporting-plate passes from beneath the raised lever end and the spring 9 elevates the switch-key bar, thus throwing the inner end of the lever downwardly into its normal position below the said supportingplate, breaking the motor-circuit and permitting the recovering-spring 62 to return the power-shaft to normal position. The construction just described also prevents the operator from attempting to depress the switch-key, and thus cause the power-shaft to start a second operation before it has completed one already commenced.

My present mechanism also includes means for causing the motor to be automatically successively energized, whereby the driven machine can be caused to automatically operate several times in succession. Pivoted to the rotating hub 28 of the sprocket wheel or disk 1 is a lever 29, to whose rear end is connected a spring 30, which tends to depress said rear end, the movement of said lever under the action of said spring being limited, as by means of a stop-pin 31, projecting from the said sprocket-disk. Suitably pivoted, as upon the standard 32, is what I shall term a repeating-lever 33, which is readily accessible to the operator of the machine and has a nose or projection 34, which when the said repeating-lever is in normal position lies over the forward end of the, said lever 29 and holds the said forward end of said lever 29 in a depressed position against the force of the spring 30 when the sprocket-disk is 'in normal position. The said repeating-lever 33 is normally held in what may be termed its forward operative position by means of a spring 35. The lever 29 has its forward end bent to extend beneath the lever 23, as shown at 36; but when the repeating-lever is in its normal operative position its nose 34 engages the said lever 29 and prevents the same from operativel y en gaging the said lever 23. Therefore when the repeating-lever is in its normal position, as shown in Fig. 2, the mechanism operates in the manner heretofore described and the lever 29 performs no function whatever, merely movingidly with the wheel or disk 1. We will assume, however, that the operator desires to repeat a given number. After setting up the number upon the machine in the usual way he pulls the repeating-lever 33 from its operative position, and thus carries its nose 34 out of engagement with the lever 29. The spring 31 immediately exerts its force to raise the forward end of the said lever 29, whereupon the lever 23 is rocked into the position into which it would be thrown were the switchkey depressed, and the switch-key bar is therefore lowered, just as if the switch-key had been operated. Thus the motor is energized, and the sprocket-wheel, with its supporting-plate, is carried forward in the usual manner, the inner end of the lever 23 slipping off the supporting-plate and breaking the motor-circuit as soon as the power-shaft 57 has been carried through the necessary arc. As the sprocket wheel or disk returns to its normal position, however, the repeating-lever 23 being still held by the operator in its retracted inoperative position, the forward end of the lever 29 (which is abnormally raised by means of the spring 30) engages the inner end of the lever 23, whereupon the switch-key bar is again depressed, the motor-circuit is again completed, and the power-shaft 57 is given a second operation, the above-described cycle of operations being repeated as long as the repeating-lever 33 is held in a retracted position. Afterthe power-shaft has been rocked forwardly as many times as is desired the repeating-lever 33 is released and permitted to be thrown into its normal operative position. Therefore as the sprocket wheel or disk 1 returns to normal position for the last time the forward end of the lever 29 engages under the nose 34:, and the said sprocket-disk comes to rest with the lever 23 in its normal position and the switch-key elevated.

In order to indicate the number of times that the sprocket-wheel 1 and the power-shaft 57 have operated, I mount a counting mechanism D in a suitable casing 36, supported upon the casing 37, which incloses the operating parts heretofore described, and this counting mechanism includes an arm or lever 38, which extends into the path of movement of a pin or projection 39 upon the sprocket wheel or disk 1, said lever having a spring 40 connected thereto, which tends to force the lever-arm forwardly. Therefore as the sprocket-disk moves forwardly the lever-arm 'of the counting mechanism is thrown for- Wardly by its spring 40, and as the sprocketwheel returns to normal position its pin 39 engages the operating-arin 38 and throws the same baokwardly, the counting mechanism thus operating in unison with the powershaft 57.

Preferably the present mechanism is mounted upon a suitable cabinet or other support, so that in order to apply the same to any machine of the usual type provided with the customary operating-handle it is only necessary to mount such machine upon the said cabinet, remove its usual operating-handle from the power -shat't 57, and secure the sprocket-wheel 1 upon said power-shaft in lieu of the said handle. For convenience in manufacture I have struck up the standards 4 and 32 from a common base 41, said base being supported upon the top plate .of the cabinet; but it will be apparent that the said standards can be made and constructed in many other ways.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a switch having a terminal movable toward and away from its cooperating terminal and having means for causing the said movable terminal to move toward its said cooperating terminal and to come to rest against the same, said terminals being adapted to engage each other at substantially only one point, of a part adapted to move said movable terminal away from said cooperating terminal, and means where by said part in its movement to permit said movable terminal to move toward its said cooperating terminal moves beyond the position of said rest of said movable terminal and thus moves out of operative engagement with said movable terminal; substantially as described.

. 2. The combination with a motor, of a circuit therefor including a switch having a ter-' minal movable toward and away from its cooperating terminal and having means for causing the same to move toward its said cooperating terminal, a switch-key adapted to engage said movable terminal to move the same away from said cooperating terminal and hold the said movable terminal in position out of contact with said cooperating terminal, and yielding means for holding said switch-key in position to so support said terminal, said switch-key having greater movement than that necessary to permit said movable terminal to contact with said cooperating terminal; substantially as described.

3. In a switch mechanism or the like, the combination with a standard provided with a projection, of a slide-bar, a switch element cooperating with said slide-bar, plates connected to said bar and upon opposite sides of said projection, and cushions between said projection and the respective said plates; substantially as described.

4. In a switch mechanism or the like, the combination with a standard provided with a projection, of a slide-bar, a switch element cooperating with said slide-bar, a boxing connected to said bar and having plates upon opposite sides of said projection and a plate connecting said first-mentioned plates and at the edge of said projection, and cushions in said boxing and between the said projection and the respective said plates upon opposite sides thereof; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a motor-driven part, and a switch-key under the control of the operator, of a support adapted to maintain said key in operative position, means whereby said motor-driven part serves to render said support operative during a portion only of the movement of said motor-driven part, and said support is then rendered inoperative, and means for then throwing said key into inoperative position and maintaining itin inoperative position until it is again moved into operative position by the operator; substantially as described.

6. The combination with a motor-driven part, and a switch-key under the control of the operator, of a support adapted to maintain said switch-keyin operative position and itself movable into and out of operative position, means whereby said motor-driven part moves said support into operative position and then moves said support out of operative position before the completion of movement of said motor-driven part, and means for then throwing said key into inoperative position and maintaining it in inoperative position until it is again moved into operative position by the operator; substantially as described.

7. The combination with a motor-driven part, and a support thereon extending over only a portion of the distance through which said support is moved, of a switch-key having an operating part connected thereto and adapted to be supported upon said support when said key is thrown into operative position, and means for yieldingly holding the said key in inoperative position with its said operating part out of the path of movement of said motor-driven part, whereby after said key has been thrown into operative position and said motor-driven part has moved a given distance said key is returned to inoperative position and said motor-driven part is free to move; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a motor-driven part, of a switch-key under the control of the operator, asupport adapted to maintain said switch-key in operative position,means Whereby said motor-driven part serves to render said support operative to maintain said key in operative position and to then permit said key to be thrown into inoperative position, means for throwing said key into inoperative position and maintaining it in inoperative position until it is again moved into operative position by the operator, and means whereby when said switch-key is in inoperative position said motor-driven part is free to move; substantially as described.

9. The combination with a motor-driven part having a support thereon extending over only a portion of the distance through which said support is moved, of a switch-key, and a member connected thereto and adapted to be supported by said support to maintain said key in operative position, said member when said key is in inoperative position lying out of position in which it can be supported by said support and in such a position that said part is free to move; substantially as described.

10. The combination with a motor-driven part having a lateral support, of a switch-key, and a member thereon having a projection adapted to engage said support to maintain said key in operative position, said projection lying out of the path of movement of said support when the said key is in inoperative position; substantially as described.

11. The combination with a motor-driven part having a lateral projection, of a switchkey, means for yieldingly holding the same in inoperative position, a lever connected to said key, and a projection upon said lever adapted to engage said lateral projection to maintain said key in operative position, said projection upon said lever lying out of the path of movement of said lateral projection when said key is in inoperative position; substantially as described.

12. The combination with an electric motor, of a switch for energizing the same and causing its movement in one direction, a connected driven shaft, recovering means for said iOO IIO

shaft and motor, and means for causing the motor to automatically make a succession of movements after being successively recovered; substantially as described.

13. The combination with a motor-driven part, and a switch-key under the control of the operator, of means controlled by said motor-driven part for maintaining said key in operative position during a portion only of the movement of said motor driven part, means for then throwing said key into inoperative position and maintaining said key in inoperative position until it is again moved into operative position by the operator, and means whereby after said key has been thus thrown into inoperative position it can be antomatically again thrown into operative position; substantially as described.

14:. The combination with a motor-controlling device including a movable element, of a motor-driven part, a support carried thereby for holding said movable element in position to maintain said device operative, means whereby When said support is removed said element moves into position to render said device inoperative, and a member carried by said motor-driven part and adapted in the movement of the latter to restore said movable element to position to be supported by said support; substantially as described.

15. The combination with a motor-controlling device including a movable element, of a reciprocatory motor-driven part, a support thereon adapted to maintain said element in position to render said device operative during one movement of said part, means whereby when said support is removed from said element the latter moves into position to render said device inoperative, means for restoring said motor-driven part, and a member carried by said motor-driven part and adapted, as said part completes its recovering move ment, to engage said movable element and thus move the same into position to be again supported by said support; substantially as described.

16. The combination with an electric motor, of a motor-driven part, means for causing the same to make a single operation, and means whereby said part can be caused to automatically make a succession of operations; substantially as described.

17. The combination with a motor-controk ling device, and means for manually operating the same, of a motor-driven part, means controlled by said motor-driven part for automatically operating said motor-controlling device, and means under the control of the operator for controlling said means for automatically operating said device; substantially as described.

18. The combination with an electric motor, of a motor-controlling device, a motor-driven part, a movable member carried by said motor-driven part and adapted in the movement of the latter to engage said motor-controlling device to render the same operative, and means for holding said member in inoperative position; substantially as described.

19. The combination with a motor-controlling device, of a motor-driven part, a movable member carried by said part and adapted in the movement of the latter to engage said motor-controlling device to render the same operative, yielding means tending to move said member into position to operatively engage said motor-controlling device, and means under the control of the operator for holding said member in inoperative position; substantially as described.

20. The combination with a motor-controlling device, of a motor-driven part, a movable member carried by said part and adapted in the movement of the latter to engage said motor-controlling device to render the same operative, yielding means tending to move said member into position to operatively engage said motor-controlling device, and a stop member under the control of the operator and in the path of movement of said movable member to prevent the latter from operatively engaging said motor-controlling device; substantially as described.

21. The combination with a motor-controlling device, of a motor-driven part, a lever pivoted upon the same, means for yieldingly holding said lever in position to engage said device to render the latter operative, and a stop member under the control ofthe operator and normally in the path of movement of said lever to prevent the latter from operatively engaging said device; substantially as described.

22. The combination with a switch-key, means for yieldingly holding the same in inoperative position, and a lever connected to said key, of a reciprocatory motor-driven part, a support thereon adapted to support said lever to maintain said key in operative position, said lever normally lying out of position to be supported by said support and said support being of a length to move out of supporting position as said part completes its movement in one direction, a lever pivoted to said part and adapted, as said part completes its movement in the reverse direction, to engage said first-mentioned lever and move the same into position to be supported by said support, yielding means tending to move said second-mentioned lever into operative position, and a stop member under the control of the operator and in the path of movement of said second-mentioned lever to prevent movement of the latter to operative position; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of November, 1902.

FRANK O. RINSOHE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE BAKEWELL, GALES P. Moons. 

